Portable electronic devices are commonly energized by a battery which is placed within the housing of the device. To provide access to the battery, an opening is provided in the housing with a door or other closure for the same. In small devices, such as a radio pager, a plastic housing may be used, and the door may also be formed of plastic. However, it is important that the housing be rugged as these devices are subjected to rough usage, and the door must not open accidentally when the device is dropped or encounters severe shocks in other ways. Various integral latching arrangements have been used, but these are not sufficiently rugged for many applications.
Although strong latches are known which may be used on a door, these have not been entirely satisfactory. In some cases, the latches are objectionably large and are formed of a number of separate parts resulting in excessive costs for the manufacture and assembly of the parts. Also, some latches have actuators which protrude objectionably and may be accidentally released.